


When the River Meets the Sea

by Zaypay



Series: Side Quests [5]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Linked Universe (Legend of Zelda), Medium Wind (Linked Universe), Warriors (Linked Universe)-centric, Warriors is a GREAT big brother, Wind (Linked Universe)-centric, the others are only there for a second
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-18
Packaged: 2021-03-26 19:34:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaypay/pseuds/Zaypay
Summary: The winds blow, souls shift, and sometimes you need a medium, even if you don’t know it. Ghosts aren’t the only ones they help.....OrMedium!Wind helps some souls and a certain captain in the process
Relationships: Warriors & Wind (Linked Universe)
Series: Side Quests [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2005042
Comments: 14
Kudos: 63





	When the River Meets the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> Like the muppets song. this fic has 2 sources of inspiration  
> 1) I’ve fallen deep into the FF7 rabbit hole, and I read ‘A Long Road To Destiny’ by Miko, awesome spectacular phenomenal. And this is pretty inspired by it.  
> 2)Medium Wind stuff. Specifically, ‘Momento Mori’ by Jeenius_the_Dork. Check them out, their writing is awesome.  
> Also, slight warning for the whole fic. It’s pretty heavy with themes of death and grief, so read with caution.
> 
> Ok enough rambling, story time :)

Warriors didn’t like the river. Hyrule had said it was the only thing keeping the town alive and that they depended solely on it for everything. But he didn’t like it, it was too familiar. It reminded him a lot of the river that ran behind the castle back in his Hyrule. Where he’d stood still and listened to Artemis deliver speech after speech honoring the fallen soldiers they’d lost in the most recent battle. Warriors memorized every name, even if he could hardly hear her over the wind. He glanced back down at the water and frowned. He really didn’t like it.

“Goddess, I hate rivers,” he mumbled, looking to the side at the dark water as they crossed the bridge to get into the town. The wood creaked quietly under their weight until a pair of light steps came up to his side. Warriors turned to spot Wind walking beside him.

“Something wrong?”

“I’m not the one complaining about a river,” Wind said with a mischievous smile. Warriors gave him a lopsided grin and shoved him playfully.

“You’re the one who can hardly go an hour without moaning about how much your feet hurt.”

“Sorry I don’t have the stamina of a goddess damn lizalfo like you people! I’m a sailor, not a mountain climber.”

Warriors let out a bark of laughter and ruffled the boy’s hair. “Point made.”

Wind fixed his hair and looked at Warriors with a small smile. “Do you really not like it?”

The captain exhaled and looked over the railing again to where the water met the horizon. “Not really. Lots of... unhappy memories associated with them.”

“Do you believe in spirits?”

_ A little out of left field_ , he thought. “What? Like, poes?”

Wind cocked his head to the side. “No, like ghosts and shit.”

Warriors raised an eyebrow. “Uh, no.”

The sailor turned his eyes to the river. “They say water is what connects our world to theirs and when we pass, our souls have an easier time crossing to the Sacred Realm if you’re near it.”

That was oddly poignant. Warriors let out a suspicious hum but still couldn’t seem to look anywhere else. “Is it true?”

“Yup.”

“What are you a psychic?”

Wind startled a little and let out a nervous laugh. “Y-yeah?”

Warriors narrowed his eyes at the sailor but shrugged. “Sure.” He wouldn’t press the issue. They were there on business anyway.

“So they’re poes,” Warriors heard Twilight say. Hyrule huffed in exasperation.

“No. Ghini, they’re ghini, not poes.”

“But they function the same?”

“Yea.”

“Then they’re poes.”

Hyrule shouted in frustration while Wild and Legend chuckled to themselves. Twilight himself wore a smug grin.

“Having fun torturing the traveler?” Warriors asked, stepping forward and ribbing Twilight. The farmhand shrugged nonchalantly and kept his eyes forward on the wide cobbled path through the town square.

“Just trying to figure out what we’ll be up against before we actually fight them. But from what I’ve heard, they’re nothing different from the usual.”

“We’re only here to stop the ‘keese invasion’, or whatever Rule called it.” Warriors pushed the door open to the inn, allowing everyone to follow in after him. It was warm inside, the fire already going. Time was still talking to the innkeeper, Four and Sky nowhere to be found, probably getting supplies. The rest of the group settled on the various couches in the common room, chatting with the locals or playing games. Warriors made his way over to one of the seats flanking the fireplace, settling down and listening to the conversations ebb and flow. He tilted his head back, feeling it pool around him comfortably, smiling at the feeling and hardly listening in.

“She died a year ago.”

Warriors opened his eyes and leaned his ear in the direction of the morbid conversation.

“Your daughter?” Wind asked (the captain was not expecting to hear that voice. Maybe Time or Twi’s, but the sailor...?).

“Yes. She had the plague a few years ago, she was never able to recover....” the woman trailed off, her voice wavering towards the end.“I-I just want to know if she’s alright. If she’s happy. If she’s moved on. I’ve hardly had another thought that wasn’t about her. I wasn’t in town, never got to say goodbye.”

“I’ll see what I can do,” Wind said in a hushed but confident tone. He sounded so sure of himself Warriors was already starting to believe in whatever plan he had. It was strange, hearing the usually playful boy so serious, or at least no-nonsense. It had Warriors wondering what exactly he’d do for the distraught woman. His mind wandered to memories of knocking on doors and handing mothers letters that they’d open and promptly collapse while reading. Hopefully Wind’s solution was nothing like that. The conversation ended in a rush of quiet thanks, gentle refusals, and more reassurances. His voice gradually joined in the main conversation, growing louder and more boisterous, back to his usual self. Warriors thought back to their earlier conversation about spirits. Strange. He sighed and shook his head when something flicked his forehead. He stared at an upside down, smiling Sky.

“Dinner time.”

Warriors grinned and hefted himself up to stretch.

“Looks like your finally up, pretty boy,” Legend said as he walked by. “How was your beauty sleep?”

“Great, I got a break from your constant yapping.”

Legend scowled and dragged a giggling Hyrule away to the table. He shot a secretive glance at Wind before heading to where his meal was waiting.

━━━ O ━━━

They had a plan. Warriors actually hated thinking about it as a plan, because it was the dumbest thing he’d ever heard of, but sure they had a “plan” for the keese invasion that Zelda (was it Aurora or Dawn?) reported. Apparently, the monsters had been gathering in swarms and attacking villagers at night. Wild somehow didn’t seem phased by it. “Happens all the time” he said much to everyone’s horror. And because of that, Hyrule sadly drafted the champion into his planning committee. Luckily, Four volunteered to help so they wouldn’t immediately blow themselves up trying to accomplish whatever it was the duo would decide on. So no, they didn’t have a plan, they had a vague idea of what they were going to generally do.

“Ghini only appear when you touch their gravestone,” Hyrule had said as they all hunched over the map. “And we’re only looking for keese anyway. So as long as you don’t touch the gravestone,” he held a thumbs up, “you’ll be alright!”

“How much damage do they do?” Time asked.

“As much as an armos.”

And that was how Warriors and Wind found themselves walking through a rather desolate valley after crossing a river, with the captain carrying Wind atop his back because he wet his socks and refused to walk until they dried. Splitting up into smaller groups to hit all four locations at once wasn’t a bad idea, but the graveyard they’d been sent to was a good hour away and if Warriors said he wasn’t tired from the hike by now then he’d be lying.

“You can get diseases you know! Like pneumonia and scurvy and lime disease and...”

Lime disease? Warriors was pretty sure that wet socks wouldn’t give you any of those but he let the sailor ramble on regardless, keeping his attention mostly on the surrounding land rather than the kid on his back. The sky was a dusty pink and dark blue, dusk beginning to settle atop the valley. Not the most comforting time to be visiting a graveyard, but Warriors supposed there are creepier places he could’ve been sent. He rounded the corner into the graveyard, which seemed to be darker than the rest of the area they’d just been in.

“...you know? I mean, I met a few ghosts on my adventure and a few of them were pretty nice. I don’t see why everyone...”

Warriors turned his head and peeked at Wind who’d fallen strangely silent as they approached. His face was still, sharply contrasting with his smiles and laughter just a moment ago. Warriors shifted uncomfortably a little and put him down, taking a deep breath to regain his energy.

“Do you see any keese?” Warriors said a slightly quietly, not sure why he was suddenly hyper aware of everything around him. Wind hummed tunelessly but didn’t make any move to speak. Warriors scanned the area with his hand on the hilt of his sword. “I feel like there’s something...” he didn’t finish, instead stepping forward and making a short gesture to call Wind to follow. He didn’t turn around but heard the telltale sound of grass shifting behind him.

It was strange. The hairs on the back of Warriors’s neck stood straight and refused to budge. The heat of someone’s eyes on his entire body didn’t waver either. He walked around the stones, making sure not to step to close to them, his grip tightening on his sword with every step. Warriors chewed on his lip, gaze flicking from tree to tree, trying to pinpoint what exactly was watching-

“Warriors, they’re here.”

The captain turned around and saw Wind reaching out to touch a gravestone. With aquick curse, he reached forward and yanked the sailor’s hand back, spinning him around to look face to face.

“What the hell are you doing?!” Warriors shouted, keeping Wind’s wrist in his hold. “That was the one thing Hyrule told us  _not_ to do. He specifically said do not touch the gravestones, so what’s the first thing you do? Of course, it’s touch the gravestone!” He let go and grit his teeth, feeling the anxiety of something constantly watching him and having to watch Wind. “Goddess, I knew this was a shit plan. Why the hell did he send us at night? Who goes to a graveyard at night...”

“Captain,” Wind said gently, a hand falling softly on his shoulder. Warriors met his calm eyes and immediately felt a stab of guilt. “They’re not dangerous.”

“The ghini? Wind, Hyrule said they were like poes. How could they not be dangerous?”

Wind shrugged and stepped back toward the gravestone, thankfully not touching it. “They’re just old.”

“Old?” Warriors raised an eyebrow. He rubbed the back of his neck and couldn’t help but look over his shoulder. “The hell does that mean?”

“Did I ever tell you about my third adventure?”

Warriors sighed in exasperation. “Wind, now is not-“

“I can see ghosts.”

Warriors pinched his eyebrows together. “Yea, I can also see poes.”

Wind made that face where his mouth turns into a weird squiggly line and shook his head. “No not monsters, ghosts. They look like people, but like in old pictographs. A little blurry and faded at the edges.” He stopped and looked at Warriors expectantly. Warriors honestly didn’t know what to say and crossed his arms.

“Your telling the truth.” It wasn’t a question. He could tell Wind wasn’t joking or lying, or at least he believed what he was saying. It still didn’t make any sense, but the sailor nodded nonetheless, obviously happy someone believed him. Warriors hated himself for even doubting him.

“I’ve been able to see them since my last adventure, and because of it I was named ‘Court Medium’.” He looked down at the sword attached to his hip and unsheathed it, tracing his finger along the hourglass in the middle. “I’ve helped a lot of ghosts and people while traveling around the Great Sea. Wasn’t easy but I would never say no.”

Warriors felt a strange mixture of pride and confusion swell in his chest. “So are there... ghosts here now?”

Wind gave him an unimpressed look. “We’re in a graveyard with ghini. And that strange feeling like someone is watching you? Yea, it’s them.”

Warriors could imagine hundreds of invisible eyes boring into him. He shuddered at the thought. “Ok, but ghini aren’t ghosts.”

“No they’re not.” Wind raised his hand over the gravestone again but didn’t bring it down. “They’re shades. Old ghosts, much, much older. And these in particular, especially in this time, have gone through a lot. They’ve got a lot of lingering regrets and can’t move on yet.”

Warriors frowned in understanding. He’d heard Hyrule tell stories about his era, and just a day’s walk through the land had shown how absolutely desolate it was. It was frankly a little unnerving, especially when there were supposedly graveyards like this everywhere. Warriors wasn’t necessarily frightened or uncomfortable in graveyards, he’d been in plenty and made many more. But the sheer number of them...

“Can you help them?”

Wind jerked a little in what looked like surprise. “Uh, yea. But you told me not to touch.”

Warriors looked at the stone. The words were in a Hylian script none of them beside Legend and Hyrule could read, but he didn’t need to be able to understand it to get what was written there. A name, date of birth, death date, epitaph. _ ‘Here lies... peace to thy gentle soul beside the goddess Hylia and her eternal light, in endless rest.’_ He’d written it enough times on letters sent to soldiers’ families to have it memorized by heart. He grabbed Wind’s hand, far more gently this time and smiled at him. His story about being a psychic or medium was strange and a little unbelievable, but so was his entire life. He’d have to trust him.

“Then go ahead.”

Wind beamed at him and grabbed the hilt of his sword. He let his hand rest on the top of the stone and closed his eyes. Warriors tensed, waiting for an attack.

“Don’t worry, they won’t do anything.” Wind’s voice sailed with the breeze that had suddenly sped up around them, whipping their hair and clothes into their faces. Wind’s forehead rested on the hourglass of his sword, which began glowing. He held it out in front of him, his breathing controlled, and drew a figure eight in the air. Warriors wasn’t sure if he was imagining it, but time appeared to freeze around them. Rather than the appearance of a ghini or enemy, the grass began to glow.

Not the grass itself, but small balls of light rose from the ground beneath their feet. They drifted slowly into the air, all different shades of blues, pinks, reds and yellows. They looked like fairies, leaving trails of silver dust falling their wake, sprinkling onto the blades of grass like early morning dew. Warriors couldn’t help himself and reached out to one, feeling the warmth emanating from it, casting his hand in a rainbow of light. He heard a giggle behind him and turned, seeing a girl whose entire body was washed in light pink floating above Wind, who was smiling and speaking softly. She placed something in his hand before waving and bursting into dozens of lights that floated away. Wind smiled brightly at him as the lights faded into the sky.

“All done, I think.”

Warriors was speechless, looking at the empty air where the lights had just been suspended a moment ago. “What was that?”

Wind hummed. “Sending. The shades here were too old. They usually can’t move on if they’re that old and end up turning into monsters...” Wind bit his lip and blinked quickly. “Luckily, I’ve got something that can help with time, so I used it. I’m not sure if they would’ve been able to let got without it.”

“Then I’m glad you were,” Warriors said breathlessly. He patted the sailor’s head half-heartedly, something weighing in his chest. Wind looked up at him after batting his hand away and frowned.

“What’s wrong?”

Warriors looked away quickly. “Nothing, that was just,” he paused and gave him a small smile that he hoped didn’t look like too sad. “Beautiful,” he said honestly.

Wind grinned and hugged him. “Thanks, by the way.”

Warriors exhaled and looked at the stars above them. There seemed to be a dozen more than before. “Of course, sailor.”

They walked back to the inn with very little conversation passing between them. They were the first to arrive, with the other groups heading out to further locations and probably fighting te actual keese invasion they were there to combat. The common room was just as quiet as when they first entered with a few travelers resting or eating. Warriors went to retrieve the key for their room from the innkeeper, leaning against the counter as he waited for the man to fish it from out back. He watched Wind approach the woman from before (who apparently hadn’t moved in the four hours they’d been gone). He handed her the object the girl from the graveyard had given him— a silver charm on a dark chain. The woman took it with shaking hands, disbelieving. For a second, Warriors was worried that she might yell at Wind, but she instead threw her arms around the boy and sobbed against his chest. He returned the hug lightly, turning his head and locking eyes with Warriors. He shot him an easy smile. Warriors returned it, but didn’t feel any lighter.

━━━ O ━━━

Warriors sat up in the bed and scanned the room. Everyone was asleep. He slowly got out of the bed, carefully crawling over the bodies of Four and Legend who’d decided Warriors’s bed was more comfortable than their own and slept with him. He tiptoed across the floorboards, pushing the door open and closing it softly behind him. He let out a breath of relief as he finally made his way out and went down the stairs to the common room.

“And where the fuck are you sneaking out to?”

“Language,” he sighed, sounding eerily like Time. He turned to see Wind sitting in the middle of the floor holding what looked like a pan flute. “What are you doing up so late?”

“It’s not like I have a bedtime,” he grumbled before holding up the flute enthusiastically. “I’m cleaning this.”

“I didn’t know you had a flute.”

Wind shrugged and put it away. “Spirit flute. I got it on my third adventure. I have to clean it every once in a while, and tonight just happened to be one of those nights.” He got up and half-stumbled half-ran to the door of the inn, pushing it open and bowing with a small hand flurry. “After you, my lord.”

Warriors scoffed but still walked through. They walked quietly through the center of town, the only sound for a few minutes being their footsteps on the stone.

“So, are you going to answer my question or what?” Wind said suddenly. “Where were you going?”

“The river,” Warriors replied. Wind nodded and didn’t ask why.

They made their way through the sleeping town to the bridge that crossed over the river. They jumped onto the railing and sat there, staring at the silver ripples in the dark water that never stopped. Warriors wondered if it was cool, how fast the currents were, where they’d take him if he went with them. He tightened the scarf around his neck and suppressed a shiver. The air was cool enough, the water was probably even colder.

He sighed. He’d been doing that a lot lately, especially today after... everything. He pushed some of the loose strands of hair from his face, not exactly caring how it looked at the moment. His hands itched to do something, but the only thing he could find to occupy them was tapping against the wood. The stars reminded him a bit too much of earlier, and he really didn’t want to think about it. About the poes he’s killed and what they could’ve been. Who they could’ve been, who they were to other people, what they meant to the world. The more he thought about it the more his thoughts threatened to shift to himself and all the men he’s lost. And he really didn’t want to think about that.

“I’m sorry,” the sailor finally mumbled, breaking the silence.

“Why?”

He turned his head away and rubbed his arms. “I know it’s not easy. Seeing them, the spirits, I mean.”

Warriors looked down at his bare feet just above the water. “No, it’s not. But there’s nothing to apologize for. Letting go and being ok with it, neither are easy and I’m not sure if I’ll ever manage both or either but... I might as well try.”

Wind nodded slowly. Warriors rested a hand over his shoulders and pulled him against his side. “Don’t worry to much about it, sailor.”

“But it’s my  _job_ to worry about things like this,” he said under his breath. Warriors frowned.

“Is it... difficult?”

Wind let out a breath. “It used to be. Especially whenever people would thank me. I never understood why they were, I didn’t do anything to save them or lessen their pain. Sometimes, it seemed like I was making things worse.“

Warriors bit his lip to stop a frown. It seemed Wind and everyone else in their little group shared that line of thought.

“What made it easier?”

“Time.” Wind paused and let out a breathy laugh. Warriors couldn’t help but let his lips twitch into a smile. “Not Time, but time. I just learned, nothing more to it. Everyone goes through things differently, especially death. And if I could do anything to lessen some of the pain that comes with it, then I’d do it. Even if neither of us realize I’m helping.”

Warriors pulled the kid tighter into his side and put his scarf around him. “Your amazing, Wind.”

“You too, Captain. Especially if what your soldiers say is anything to go by.”

Warriors leaned back and looked at Wind with wide eyes. “What do you mean?”

Wind smiled his trademark smile that immediately filled Warriors’s heart. “What, you think I can’t see the army that follows you around everywhere? They’re quite boisterous and never stop singing their praises of you.” He out a hand on his chest and closed his eyes. “Oh captain, my captain! What a wonderful handsome man, so full of brilliant ideas and- ow!” Wind rubbed his arm from where Warriors punched him playfully.

“They’re still following me?” Warriors asked quietly. Wind nodded.

“They always are.”

Warriors quickly began adjusting his bangs to hide his eyes. “C-can you Send them?”

“I can for those who want to move on.”

“Please,” he somehow managed to choke out. Wind hummed. Warriors looked up and over the water when a star bursting at the seams with color fell from the sky onto the surface, erupting in sparks. Dozens more fell in the same way, lighting up the river with a myriad of colors. It eventually settled, the current sweeping away the sparks that’d flown. Warriors didn’t even realize he’d stopped breathing until Wind nudged his side. He sucked in a harsh breath, evening out his heart rate and blinking. His eyes burned for some reason.

“Some stayed,” Wind said wistfully. “They didn’t want to leave you.”

Warriors swallowed hard and gave him a watery smile. “Thanks, Wind.”

He beamed. “Always.”

The pair sat on the edge of the bridge the rest of the night, Wind quickly falling asleep and leaving Warriors to watch the sun slowly replace the darkness of night with the first rays of sunlight. He smiled fondly at the rushing river water. Maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.

When the sun finally rose, they crossed the river together.

**Author's Note:**

> That’s it! Slightly sad and melancholy but c’est la vie. I really like writing these ‘LU tropes but with a twist’ things, they’re fun. Even though this one didn’t really have a twist, whatever. Thanks for reading!
> 
> Till next time...


End file.
